‘94 4x4 Swap/Build

[DRanger024]

I've said it before... about the bugs. They can be brutal.

Temp swings can get dramatic too anywhere along Lake Superior.

Oh believe me, I know! I'm originally from Ontonagon. I grew up on the big lake.. Literally!

 

[DRanger024]

Found the culprit. Output shaft bearing spun the race. I’ve ended up using almost everything but the case from the 2.3 trans.

 

[DRanger024]

Well it seems I put the 5th/reverse slider in backwards. 1-4 and reverse are quiet and silky smooth and it will go into 5th but as soon as I apply throttle, it pops right back out. Can’t even hold it in. So, looks like it’s still a 4 speed for now. I’m hoping I can get the slider out and flipped around without completely pulling the trans. Might be doable if I let everything hang off the motor mounts.

Edit:

Well, proof is in the pudding.

Thats motor oil by the way. NOT gear lube.
Looks like tomorrow I’ll be draining it and pulling the extension housing. Back half of the trans should be no problem to work on in the truck. Helps that I can sit upright underneath it.

This is why it matters;

The hub of the slider is offset about 0.120”. I guess this is why you don’t work on it until midnight, shower and get up to finish at 5am.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

Yep the rush to finnish the job, always encourages errors.

 

[sgtsandman]

Rushing and working while very tired has bit me in the butt a good number of times.

 

[DRanger024]

Well I took my time yesterday and today and managed to fix the 5th/reverse slider issue. Turns out, I had the hub of the slider the right direction but the slider itself must have fell apart at one point and I put it back together backwards.
I did manage to do everything without pulling the trans again. The top cover will come off through the hole in the tunnel without cutting any sheet metal but I had to make a hole in my already trashed carpet to get one of the tunnel cover bolts out. The transfer case shift lever (if you have one) has to be in the 4 hi position or removed and it has to do a small spin to come out.
Worst part was getting the output shaft bearing off. The way I do it is with a rounded over alignment punch and a heavy hammer on the back side of the reverse gear working through the top of the case. This works fine with the transmission out of the truck but there isn’t enough room under the dash to do it with it in. So I used my air hammer with a rounded over bit. This works much faster, but threw some sparks which means pieces of metal. Maybe it’s not a great idea but neither tool even made a mark in the gear.
Slapped it all back together, filled it with fresh 5w-20 Castrol Edge and took it for a drive. Sweet, sweet 5th gear, welcome back!
Sorry for no pics, I don’t like to monkey around much when I’m working.

 

[DRanger024]

Picked up a soft tonneau cover today. It’s an Extang Trifecta. The gal I got it off of used a Ranger as a mail delivery vehicle and had this for dry cover of packages. Scooped it up for $50 but I had to drive nearly an hour one way.

I’m not super crazy about how it attaches being a tri-fold. The front clamps require a deep well socket or a box end wrench to remove. The rear clamps are a quick style so it can be folded up easily.

It would be nice to have the quick style clamps on all four corners but I don’t think they can create enough tension to keep things in place at highway speed.

Further digging revealed that the front clamps should have speed knobs on them. Might have to purchase new clamps as I have one broken one anyways.

That’s all for today.

 

[bobbywalter]

That is bad ass to pull that task off in the truck.......


...I don't have the patience though....I would have just pulled the trans ...my back is too fawked up to do tedious out of position stuff....and I cant see too good anymore either.


That's some braggable wrenching you will have over my sorry ass ...hats off to ya.

.

 

[DRanger024]

That is bad ass to pull that task off in the truck.......


...I don't have the patience though....I would have just pulled the trans ...my back is too fawked up to do tedious out of position stuff....and I cant see too good anymore either.


That's some braggable wrenching you will have over my sorry ass ...hats off to ya.

.

Thanks dude. Realistically my own laziness drove me to do it that way but also the curiosity to find out if it’s doable. It was more or less because I didn’t want to pull the exhaust again.

 

[sgtsandman]

The cover that I got with my 2019 is the same style and does indeed have knobs on the front. Not a bad design for a soft cover. I got it as a temporary measure until I could get a cap. To me, the height limitation is a bit limiting for being a family hauler and needing to keep all the families crap dry. The soft toneau is a good choice for general use otherwise.

 

[DRanger024]

I have my cap yet too but I enjoy the truck more with it off. Downside to that is no dry storage whatsoever and when the wife sends me to the store to pick up groceries, I end up with a few angry people behind me when bags come loose. I'll order new front clamps eventually. Might even venture to guess I could buy replacement knobs at the hardware store.

 

[sgtsandman]

My 2011 is slowly getting setup as an overlander rig. So, too much crap under the platform and height loss to have just a toneau. And the cap has a reinforced roof for a rack to carry oversize loads. Plus, help removing/installing the cap isn't readily available. The fiberglass cap is really nice but too heavy for one person to handle. So, it stays on.

On the plus side, the weight of the cap and gear helped tremendously when wheeling with the guys at the meet. Except with the rock crawling, I was able to pretty much keep up with the better equipped trucks. Even with open diffs front and rear.

 

[DRanger024]

I do like the added weight of a fiberglass cap. It’s kind of a double bonus in winter. Added weight and all the afforded room.

 

[DRanger024]

Things have definitely changed a lot for this truck

It still has the same wheels on it that we’re on it in the pic above.

 

[NIGERIAN RANGER]

Love how this truck looks like. Muscular, and some kind of militaristic.